You’ll easily find the best interior paint colors for your home, from the top brands, here online and at your local Home Depot. Our knowledgeable store associates can help you color-match paint from almost any brand to get the shade of your desire. We’ve also got you covered on all the essential painting supplies, including paint brushes, tarps, drop cloths, plastic sheeting and more.
Most interior painting projects will present corners and edges. Corners, trims, splashes and accents will require cutting in — which generally requires the most patience, preparation and skill. There is a lot of debate among painters whether it is better to cut in before or after applying the roller. Solo painters may want to prepare the surfaces first, apply painter’s tape where required and cut in before applying paint to the rollers. Painters working in teams can split cutting in duties in sections while other team members are applying paint with rollers.
The size of the room to be painted is the most important factor in determining the cost of professional painting. It will take a painter longer to cover a large room than a small room, and this means higher labor costs in addition to supplies and time. When estimating the paint for such a job, keep in mind that a gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet (though the label claims it will cover 450 square feet). You will be charged for the number of paint cans needed, among other factors.
The best time to tackle windows is in the beginning of the day, when you're fresh," says Doherty. "But it still takes me an hour to do a standard window." For double-hungs, begin by raising the inner sash and lowering the outer sash until their positions are almost reversed. Paint the lower half of the outer sash first, then the entire inner sash. Once the lower sash is dry, return both to their normal position, but leave them slightly open. Finish painting the outer sash. "Windows take too long to tape," says Doherty. When painting, overlap the glass by 1/16 inch to seal the wood.
You are right on with this - why do people leave switch plates on when it's just so easy to take them off? Another thing that happened to us - we had the popcorn ceiling taken off and the ceiling painted white. When the job was done and I later went to change out all the fixtures/fans, they had left every fixture in place, so there was a large patch of popcorn and unpainted ceiling left behind - it just didn't dawn on me to specify that they take those down before scraping and painting. It was kind of a mess.
Don't bother taping windows when painting sashes—it takes a long time and paint usually ends up on the glass anyway. Go ahead and let paint get on the glass. Once it's dry, simply scrape it off with a razor blade. The paint peels off in seconds. "Just be careful to not break the paint bond between the wood and the glass," a pro cautions. "Otherwise, moisture can get on the wood and cause rot."

Plan the workforce. If you intend to not hire a professional crew, you'll need lots of help. There are many jobs to be done. First there's the furniture moving, then wall preparation, floor covering, materials gathering and prep, cleaning, and don't forget everyone will have to eat. It can easily take a team of five people a full ten days to paint a two-story (approx 2000 sq.ft.) home. Get as many people to help as you can. If some can only come one or two days, great. Maybe others can fill in. Ensure you plan with your workforce members in mind. They'll need plenty of time to arrange days away from work. Identify a few key personnel:

The article was well-intended, but it makes it sound like painters are the crooks and consumers are innocent victims. That is blatantly un-true. Maybe there should be a follow-up article that educates consumers how not to be shysters by expecting a ton more than they said at the start, or not paying the balance of the job unless something else is done that was not in the contract. Tradesmen have a rough road when dealing with consumers that have short arms but long lists of by-the-way items. No, I'm not a painter...
I disagree with your criteria to hire a painter. A prompt returned call is nice but does not indicate the quality or fairness of the painter. As far as a written estimate, that should be more of a qualifier for the bid versus an evaluation criterion. I'm not sure one would have favorable results by hiring a painter on this basis. As far as the bidding process, change orders should ONLY be used if the customer requests additional scope (PMP 101). Angie's list should consider asking reviewers if/how much they were told to pay compared with the estimate. Unfortunately, there are a lot of contractors that are unethical and need to be accountable.

"Pete and his crew did an excellent job for us, painting two large cabinets. They were on time, very professional, and very friendly (they are huge animal lovers and treated our cat superbly). They even touched up some other paint places that they were not hired to do, and answered any questions that we had about painting and other things related to the house. I definitely will hire them whenever I have any painting needs."

Basic labor to paint home with favorable site conditions. Prep up to 3 hr per 100 SF - clean, scrape, sand and patch up to 4 defects per 100 SF. Caulk gaps and spot prime. Roll / brush 2 coats of paint over lightly textured ceiling/walls. Paint up to 2 doors and door trim per room. Includes planning, equipment and material acquisition, area preparation and protection, setup and cleanup. 129 square feet $93.64 $126.68

An empty home is less expensive as the painters don’t have to move the furniture and cover it. If the customer does not live in the house, the crews appreciate the opportunity of starting work early or finishing later. The easier scheduling and flexible timelines is a win win for both parties and and our estimator brings this to the client’s attention.

Warline Painting is a one-of-a-kind company. Heidi Nyline is an expert in specifying beautiful exterior and interior colors - she is always spot-on! This is the only paint company I know of with the design expertise built right in. If you are looking for painters who go above and beyond to deliver quality and attention-to-detail, hire Warline for your next project!
I've seen this done many years ago by a guy who did all sorts of jobs where I lived. My dad caught him painting his boss's roof and he was watering down the paint. We've had a hard time trying to get a painter for our house. We've had a guy that had been remmended by a neighbor and he hasn't showed up to paint for 2 weeks. I want to call him and my husband says no. I'm 69 years old and I'm about ready to go and paint our 2 porches, I've painted all my life and all the inside of our home. Maybe that's the way it should be with everyone that can paint pretty good.
The floor and ceiling surfaces cannot be ignored, as they are crucial elements of color combination. Most ceilings are traditionally painted white for a number of reasons — particularly for their ability to keep rooms looking bright and to avoid taking attention away from the walls. Lighter ceiling colors can also help to make a room appear larger and more open.
In general, glossier paints are more stain-resistant and scrubbable. But a higher sheen also highlights any imperfections in the wall or in the paint job. "Flat paints are fine for ceilings and formal rooms, but for most of my customers, I recommend an eggshell gloss. It's good for hallways, kids' rooms, even kitchens and baths," says Toto. It seems that latex paints have won over even the most finicky painters. "Though we still use oil-based paints for restor-ation work, latex paints are fine for interior walls and new trim," says Toto, "as long as you don't go cheap on the paint." All of our pros have their personal favorites, but they agree that good paint does not come cheap. "You'll spend $20 to $35 per gallon for a top-shelf paint," says Weeks. The pros also agreed that using two coats of paint will result in the best-looking job. Don't skimp on the coverage; if you're covering more than 400 square feet per gallon, you're spreading it too thin. Also, keep 1/4 to 1/2 gallon on hand for touch-ups.
Maybe you've just moved into a new home, and you haven't got around to buying brushes and rollers yet. Perhaps you're worried that your brush-skills aren't that good, and you won't achieve that professional-looking finish that you’re really going for. Handy professionals will turn up with everything they need to get the job done, from ladders and brushes, to rollers and tarps. You just have to provide the interior paint and primer!
A true professional understands that it is his or her responsibility to provide a quality job for the homeowner. Professionals also know that attention to detail is a part of the job. While a homeowner might leave a bit of paint on the window pane, a dedicated interior painter for hire will make sure that these small details are handled properly, because a perfect job is the best calling card.
Yes, it does. Green paints are safer because their makers have reduced or eliminated the toxic VOCs that can harm us and the air we breathe. And they've done it without compromising quality or jacking up prices. Green paints are as good or better than the old-school variety, and most cost the same as a midrange or premium latex. The problem is, some green paints are more people- and eco-friendly than others. Here are the key questions to ask when shopping for green paint:
Prep the house. Wash the walls, remove wallpaper, patch, spackle, seal stains, dry and sand before you attempt to paint. Now is also the time to apply painters tape for trimming, lay drop cloths, etc. Remove all outlet and light switch face plates, collecting screws in a zip-top bag (good opportunity to wash the face plates all at once as well). You can also buy your paint at this time. Don't wait until the last minute. It can take hours to mix many gallons of all your colors. Remember that traffic triples at your home-supply and hardware stores on weekends. Buy on a weekday if possible.
Preparing and painting the interior walls of a room can usually be done in a few hours. However, drying time between coats can extend the job to a few days. If trim or ceilings are added to the job, you should account for a few hours for each coat. Projects that are more extensive or customized, involve different colors or types of paint or require extra prep work will take more time to complete.
"Cutting in is an acquired skill, but it's something you can't do at all with a ratty brush," says Doherty. When cutting in on a wall, he loads his brush and spreads out the excess paint, then works the brush up to the line between wall and ceiling. A brush stroke that's too wide creates a hatband, or smooth brushed band, on the very top of the wall where it meets the ceiling. To avoid this, Dixon recommends rolling first and then cutting in with a brush. "A good roller can get within 1/2 inch of the ceiling," he says. "You'll save time by not brushing more then you have to." When painting baseboards, "a wide taping knife makes a good paint guard," says Span. "Just keep the blade clean to prevent drips from working around the edge of the knife."

Watering down the paint 50%? It will not cover. I am a contract painter and found that most people that I make a contract with immediately try to change the deal and get more than they are paying for. Sometimes, I let them cheat me as they may have other work that I wish to do but other times I put my foot down. I try to get the client to look at what I have done each and everyday if I am going from room to room. I cannot do this If I spray the entire project at once. Even when I have them inspect my work, they often just do not tell the truth and wish to scam me the contractor for more and more while paying the same as the original contract. Most people have not a clue how much work is involved in painting a house and just assume that the painter rolls out the work with no prep, sealing off the place to protect things that are not painted. All of my contracts state that if anything is in the way like babies, dogs, cars, plants and furniture that I cannot proceed and that it is their responsibility to move this stuff. I always seem to be turned into a furniture mover and never get paid to wrench my back. Fact is most people try to rob the contractor and this article tries to make it seem that the contractor is robbing the homeowners. My sister is a prime example of this as she always goes for the lowest bid yet expects a world class job. This means if you pay $500 for a two day paint job do not expect the contractor to live at your home for two weeks and make only $500.

The size of the room to be painted is the most important factor in determining the cost of professional painting. It will take a painter longer to cover a large room than a small room, and this means higher labor costs in addition to supplies and time. When estimating the paint for such a job, keep in mind that a gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet (though the label claims it will cover 450 square feet). You will be charged for the number of paint cans needed, among other factors.